Vending-machine.



N0. 867,545. PATENTED OCT. 1, 1907. I. G. WOODWARD. VENDING, MACHINE}. APPLIOAT'Ipn rum um}: 23. 1906.

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PATENTED OCT. 1, 1907.

I. c. WOODWARD. VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION IILED JUNE 23, 1906.

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PATBNTBD OCT. 1, 1907.

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APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, 1905.

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No. 867,545. PATENTED 001'. 1,1907.

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VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, 1906.'

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THE NORRIS PETER! Om wnsmucrun. B. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IRVING C. WOODWARD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORTO MERCHANTS VENDING MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

VENDING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 1, 1907.

Application filed June 23,1906. Serial No. 322,984.v

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRVING C. WOODWARD, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vending-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The main object of this invention is to provide an improved and reliable form of check-controlled package-delivery mechanism for vending machines.

Further objects are to provide an improved form of controlling ratchet and pawl for insuring proper and complete action of the operating lever of hand-operated machines of this class; to provide improved coin discharging mechanism; to provide improved means for preventing the operation of the package-delivery mechanism by means of the operating lever, except when a coin has been placed in proper relation with the operating mechanism; and to provide a structure for devices of this class which will admit of making practically all of the parts from inexpensive sheet metal stampings.

These objects are accomplished by the device shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a vending machine constructed according to this invention, the outer casing being omitted. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Figs. 2 and 5. Fig. 4 is a front elevation, partly broken away, showing the package delivery outlet at the lower end of the package chute. Fig. 5 is a bottom plan of the platform which supports the coin and package chutes. Fig. 6 is a detail showing the relation of the operating lever and its controlling pawl when the lever is in the lower limit of its movement. Fig. 7 is a detail showing the top of the delivery platform partly broken away and showing the slide for discharging packages from the chute. Fig. 8 is a detail, partly broken away and partly in section, showing one end of the square shaft, and the method of mounting thereon the fixed and loose arms 13 and 9. Fig. 9 shows the catch in position for holding the package delivery slide at the forward limit of its movement.

In the form shown'in the drawings, two package or article-chutes 1 are rigidly mounted on a horizontal platform 2. An individual coin chute 3 is provided for controlling the discharge of articles from each article chute. The article chutes are closed at their lower endsby the platform 2 and are provided with delivery openings 4 in their front faces adjacent to the platform 2. The article chutes are partly open at the front, as is usual in devices of this class, so as to disclose the contents thereof.

Each chute has an article discharging device which consists of a plate 5 slidably mounted on the platform 2 and rigidly connected through a slot 6 with a plate 7 below said platform. The slide 5 is shifted by means of an arm 8 which extends upward through a hole in the plate 7. The arm 8 is an extension of the member 9 which is loosely mounted on the operating shaft 10. The platform 2 is slotted at 11 to permit the member 9 to oscillate around the shaft 10. It is preferred to make the shaft 10 rectangular in cross section and to provide bushings 12 upon which the members 9 are loosely mounted. A second member 13 is rigidly mounted on the shaft 10 and is provided with shoulders 14 extending toward the member 9. The member 9 is also provided with lugs or shoulders 15 and 16 extending toward the member 13. The shoulders on both members are arranged in proper relation with each other to form a pocket between the members 9 and-13 for supporting a coin or check 17 between said members, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.

A lever 18 is rigidly mounted on the shaft 10 and extends outward, through a slot in the front wall 19 of the casing, into position to be conveniently depressed by the operator. The lever 18 has an integral portion 20 which is in the form of a sector provided with ratchet teeth. A pawl 21 is pivotally mounted at 22 and has one arm 23 arranged to engage the ratchet teeth on the sector 20. The arm 23 is normally urged into such engagement by a tension spring 24 which connects the pin 25 on the frame with a lug on the arm 26 of the pawl.

The pawl is provided with a stop arm 27 which is in suitable position for engaging the pin 25 and limiting the movement of the pawl 21 under the action of the spring 24. I This arrangement of the pawl is best shown in Fig. 1. The lever 18 is also provided with an arm 28 which is adapted to engage the shoulder 29 on the pawl 21, and swing the arm 23 clear of the ratchet teeth. In the position shown in Fig. 1, the spring 24 normally urges the arm 23 toward the ratchet teeth. When the lever 18 approaches 1ts lowest position, the arm 28 will engage the shoulder 29 and swing the pawl 21 until the pull of the spring 24 acts on the opposite side of the pivot 22 and holds the arm 23 free from the ratchet teeth, as in Fig. 6. The face 30 of the arm 26 is of suitable form to cause the pawl to be returned to the position shown in Fig. 1 when the lever 18 returns to its members 9 and 13.

The member 9 is loosely mounted on the bushing 12 so that the shaft 10 will be free to rotate without moving the member 9 except at times when the lever 18 is depressed after a coin 17 is seated in proper position between the members 9 and 13. A spring 32 connects the arm 8 with a lug 33 on the platform 2 and normally holds the member 9 in its rearward position as limited by the rearward end of the slot 11. This slot is of the proper length to permit the arm 8 to swing forward snfliciently to cause the plate 7 to discharge a package when the lever 18 is depressed.

Each side plate 7 is provided with a downwardly extending lug 34 which is arranged to codperate with a catch lever 35 for locking the plate 7 in its forward position. This permits the member 13 to return to its normal position in advance of the member 9, thus separating said members and opening the pocket to cause the coin, which was supported by the lugs on said members, to fall into a coin receptacle below. Each catch lever 35 is pivoted at 36 and the two catch levers are connected together by a spring 37. When either slide 7 is moved to its extreme forward position, the shoulder 38 of its respective catch lever will engage the lug 34 and lock the slide in such forward position. Each catch lever is provided with a cam face 39 which is suitably located to engage the member 13 and swing the catch lever so as to shift the shoulder 38 out of engagement with the lug 34, when said member is returned to its normal position under the action of the spring 31.

As soon as the shoulder 38 releases the lug 34, the slide 7 returns to its initial position under the action of the spring 32.

A lateral extension 40 on each catch lever 35 is suitably located to pass below the mouth of the coin chute and prevent a coin from falling out of the chute when the members 9 and 13 swing forward.

The operation of the device shown is as follows: When no coin or check is seated in proper position between the members 9 and 13, the springing of the lever 18 will have no effect upon the delivery mechanism, since there is no connection between the members 9 and 13 except the loose connection at the shaft. The members 9 and 13 are both normally held by their stops and controlling springs in position to bring the coin pocket into position for receiving a coin from the chute.

The customer inserts his coin into the coin chute. If the coin is of the proper denomination, it will pass the slug detecting and rejecting devices (which are of a usual form and are therefore not herein described) and will fall from the chute into the pocket between the The customer now depresses the lever 18 to the full limit of its swing and through the interlocking of the members 9 and 13 by means of the coin, causes the member 9 to swing with the member 13 and shift the corresponding slide 5. This movement of the slide 5 discharges the lowest article from the article chute. If coins are simultaneously placed in each chute, both slides 5 will operate through a single movement of the lever 18 and the two articles will be simultaneously delivered.- On delivery, the articles fall into the delivery chute 41 which conducts the same to the delivery shelf 42. In case the customer fails to depress the lever 18 a suflicient distance to cause the proper discharge of an article from the article chute, the pawl 21 prevents the return of the lever 18. When the lever 18 is pushed to the downward limit of its movement, the arm 28 swings the pawl 2i until its spi ing 21 holds it in an off position and permits the lever 13 and its connected mechanism to be returned to the initial position by the spring 31. This arrangement; of the pawl 21 and the toothed sector 20 is intended to prevent the parts from returning to a position for receiving a second coin before an article has been properly dolivered in payment for a coin inserted into the coin chute. If two or more coins are inserted into the same chute before depressing the lever 18, then the extension 40 of the catch lever 35 insures that the coins are properly retained within the coin chute until the delivery devices have been operated once for each coin inserted. These precautions safeguard the customer against the retention of his coin except through the proper delivery to him of the article which he desires to buy. The shoulder or pin 16 on the member 9 prevents the coin from being thrown back into its seat on the shoulders 14, in case the lever 18 should be struck a sharp blow so as to rapidly return the member 5) to its normal position. When such rapid blow is struck, the impact of the shoulder 15 with the coin 17 will throw said coin against the shoulder or pin 16, and cause the same to rebound and drop to the bottom of the casing, before said member 9 is carried far enough to re-deposi t the coin on the shoulders 14.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination of an operating lever having a limited oscillatory movement, said lever being normally urged toward one limit: of its movement, a series of ratchet teeth aranged concentrically of the fulcrum of said lever, a pivoted pawl engaging said ratchet teeth, and a tension spring" connected to said pawl and extending across the pivoted axis thereof for yieldingly holding said pawl into or out of engagement with said ratchet teeth, said pawl and lover being suitably formed to engage each other for causing the pawl to swing so as to reverse the action of said spring whenever the lever arrives at either limit: 01' its movement.

2. The combination of a pair of members movable in parallel paths, each being normally urged to a certain initial position adjacent to the other, and being separately movable away froln such initial position, each of said members having thereon a shoulder extending toward the other, said shoulders being spaced to form a pocket; for supporting a check between said members and being adapted to engage such check for causing one of. said 1no1u bers to be moved along through the movement? of the other member, means for causing said other member to return to its initial position in advance of the first, for separating said shoulders and discharging the check, and a second shoulder on said first member adapted to engage the check and cause it to rebound when thrown toward the normal initial position of said members through a sudden or violent operation of the parts.

3. A pair of members movable in parallel relation, together and independently of each other, a shoulder pro jecting from each of said members toward the other and suitably spaced to engage opposite edges ot a coin to re tain the same between said members, both of said members being normally urged toward one end of their path, a catch for holding one of the members at the opposite end of the path to permit their separation and the release of the coin, a release for said catch actuated by said other member during its return to the normal position, and a second shoulder on said one member spaced fronrihc other shoulder to permit the coin to pass between the same, but adapted to abut against and cause the rebound olf the coin when thrown toward the normal position of said members.

4. In a check operated mechanism, the combination of a pair of members movable in parallel planes and separately urged to certain adjacent normal positions, delivery mechanism operated through the movement of one of said members, means for moving the second member, each of said members having thereon a shoulder extending toward the other and arranged to form a pocket for supporting a check between said members and adapted to engage said check for causing said first member to be moved along through the movement of the second member, means for causing said members to separately return to their normal positions so as to release the check and permit the same to 10 fall out of said pocket, and means for deflecting the check and preventing the same from rebounding into engagement with the lug on said second member.

Signed at Chicago, this 21st .day of June, 1906.

IRVING C. WOODWARD.--

Witnesses:

WM. R. RUMMLER. C. P. FRANTZ. 

